Nonprofits working to help Kingsessing community months after mass shooing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's been more than two months since the mass shooting in Philadelphia's Kingsessing neighborhood.
Five people were killed when a gunman went on a two-day shooting rampage. Now, an effort is underway to treat the invisible wounds left on the community.
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Derrick Gooden said he remembers the mass shooting like it was yesterday.
Philadelphia police said Kimbrady Carriker gunned down his first victim at a home in Kingsessing on July 2.
Forty-four hours later, police said Carriker came back to the same neighborhood and started firing aimlessly, killing four more people.
"It's heartbreaking because um, like, just losing the little kids and having like, so many people die because of someone's mental health," Gooden said.
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Last month, a court-appointed psychiatrist found Carriker unfit to stand trial. While the criminal case is on hold, the community's sense of security remains shattered.
"The effect that it has on the community, the fear that is left, the uncertainty that exists in the community when a shooting like this happens, leaves people with a lot of uncertainty," said Rev. Cean James, who is the senior pastor of Salt and Light Church, which its two blocks from where the shooting began.
On Sunday, the pastor invited representatives from two nonprofits, Mothers In Charge and Every Murder Is Real (EMIR), to speak to parishioners about how they can help the community heal.
"We offer anger management, we offer grief support in person and we also offer grief support online, virtually," Dororthy Johnson-Speight, the founder and national executive director of Mothers In Charge, said.
"The emotional and trauma work that we do is life-saving and life-changing," Chantay Love, the president of EMIR, said.
After hearing from Mothers In Charge, Gooden said he is interested in learning more about their services and getting involved.
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"Now, having an organization like that, boots on the ground, just talking about stopping the violence is really important because something needs to be done," Gooden said.
Gooden said he lost five cousins in separate shootings over the years. He believes everyone in the community needs to work together to create a future free from gun violence.